‘for the more the wrists and shoulders have left for them to do after impact, the greater the power and control in the shot.’
‘Down to Scratch’, Abe Mitchell, 1933, Methuen, London
Eighty years ago - there is nothing new under the sun but much is forgotten and we need reminding.
Regards
I can understand what he means by the shoulders. I would think he’s talking about post impact shoulder/torso rotation. But what do you think he means when it comes to the wrists?
Good question, and I don’t think I can give you a reply that is correct. I am a little confused by his writing on ‘wrists’. As it was written in the transition between hickory and steel, and he shows a preference for the feel of hickory, ie the torque; and a poor golfer like me tends to be trapped in ambiguity. Describing a chip with the elbows remaining at the sides, he wants closed before impact and open after impact - the club being taken away with the wrists by a rotation shutting the club. However, he also says at the end of this piece of instruction that this finish is identical for that of the drive.
On the other hand he says earlier in this chapter on ‘Wrists’ that
I don’t know how you could get shut before impact from this position but then ignorance is my terminal condition.
I have a PDF of the book if you are interested which I could post, or I could email it. What was interesting was the proposition (in an ABS context), made so long ago, that there was work to be done after impact with regard to power and control.
Regards